Summary
Fair Haven School is a PK–8 elementary school in New Haven, CT, serving 734 students — the largest enrollment among nearby comparison schools — where 76–81% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school is part of the New Haven School District, which ranks 143rd out of 153 districts statewide, but Fair Haven's own ranking is far worse: 490th out of 491 schools in 2025–2026, putting it in the 0th percentile. The school has been stuck in the bottom 1–4% of Connecticut elementary and middle schools for at least a decade.
Academic proficiency at Fair Haven is extremely low, often in single digits. In 2025–2026, only 8.2% of 3rd graders were proficient in math, versus 52.2% statewide, and just 11.7% of 5th graders met the bar in ELA, compared with 53.5% statewide. These results are typically less than half the district average — and the district itself sits in the 7th percentile. The contrast with nearby schools is stark. Worthington Hooker School, just 1.5 miles away, ranks 124th in the state, posts 76.3% 5th-grade ELA proficiency, and has a 6.5% chronic absenteeism rate. Even Booker T. Washington Academy, which has an even higher poverty rate at 92.1%, ranks 326th and achieves 34.1% 3rd-grade math proficiency — roughly four times Fair Haven's rate.
There are a few relative bright spots. Chronic absenteeism improved from 38.1% in 2021–2022 to 24.4% in 2025–2026, actually better than the district average of 30.6%. Fair Haven also spends $16,337 per student — more than Worthington Hooker or Booker T. Washington — and its English Language Learner students ranked in the 35th percentile, the school's strongest subgroup showing. However, test scores remained essentially flat even as attendance rose, and the school's ranking has not budged in a decade. The data suggest Fair Haven faces deep, concentrated educational challenges that extra funding, lower class sizes, and better attendance alone have not overcome.
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